The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-06-24

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of that cliff for ten years and never got
chance of pulling her up.n
"Then we pulled up that horrid box, which
was found down in the sand and tied cord
tor
YES" exclaimed Ernest, who was now
arriving, "and would you believe it-Dorothy
wanted us TO throw it back againl"
81 know | did; said that it was unlucky,
and it is unlucky"
Nonsense, Dorothy IL is very interesting.
expect that it win be found to contain deeds
buried in the churchyard for safety and
never dug up again. broke in Mr.. Cart!us,
much interested. "Let me catch hold Of that
stick, Miss Ceswick, and dare say that
Jeremy will go on and get a hammer and
cold chisel, and we will soon solve the mys-
terry"
"Oh, very well, Reginald; you will seer
Mr.. Cardus glanced at her 1t was curious
her taking such an idea. Then they pro-
ceeded to the house. On reaching the sitting
room they found Jeremy already there with
his hammer and chisel He was an admira-
BILE amateur blacksmith; indeed, there were
few manual trades of which he did not know
a little, and, placing the case on the table, he
set about the task of opening it in most
workmanlike manner.
quite away, was stikl thick and sound near
the edges, and it took him good quarter of
an hours hard chopping to remove what ap-
peared to be the front of the case Excite
ment was at its height as it fell forward with
a bang ON the table; but it was then found
that what had been removed was merely a
portion OF an outer case, there being beneath
it an inner chest, also of lead.
"Well, y said Jeremy, "they fastened it up
pretty well, and then he set to work again.
This inner skin of lead was thinner and
easier to cut than the first had been. and he
got through the job more quickly, though not
nearly quickly enough for the impatience of
the bystanders. At last the front fell out
and disclosed a small cabinet made of solid
pieces of black oak, and having hinged
door, which was fastened by tiny latch and
hasp of the common pattern, that is probably
as old as doors are. From this cabinet there
came strong odor of spices.
The excitement was now intense, and
seemed to be shared by everybody in the
house. Grice had come in through the swing
door and stationed herself in the background;
sampson and the groom were peeping
through the window, and even old After
leigh, attracted by the sound of the hammer
ing, had stroled aimlessly in.
"What can it bei' said Eva, with n pasn.
Slowly Jeremy extracted the cabinet from
its leaden coverings and set it on the table
"Shal open it" he said, and, suiting the
action to the word, he lifted the latch. and.
placing his chisel between the edge Of the
little door and its frame, pried the cabinet
open.
The smell of spices became more pro-
nounced than ever, and for q moment the
cloud of dust that came from them as their
fragments rolled out of the cabinet ON to the
table, prevented the spectators who, all but
Dorothy, were crowding up to the case, from
seeing what 1t contained Presently, how
ever large, whitish bundle became visible.
Jeremy put in his hand, pulled it out, and
laid it on the top of the box. 1t was heavy.
But when he had done this he did not seem
inclined to go any further in the matter. The
bundle had, he considered, an uncanny look.
AT that moment an interruption took place,
for Florence Ceswick entered through the
open door. She had come up to see Dorothy,
and was astonished to find such gathering.
why, what is it all aboutl" she asked.
Somebody told her in as few words as DOS
sible, for everybody's attention was concen-
trated ON the bundle, which nobody seemed
inclined to touch
"Well, why don't you open itr' asked Flor.
ence.
81 think that they are all afraid,n said Mr..
Cardus, with laugh.
lie was watching the various expressions
on the faces with an amused air
"Well, am not afraid, at any rate,r said
Florence "Now, ladies Cnd gentlemen, the
gorgon's head is about to be unveiled. Look
the other way, or you will all be turned to
stone"
"This is getting delightfully."- CHASTITY" said
Eva to Ernest.
"I know that it will be something horrid,r
added Dorothy.
Meanwhile Florence had drawn out heavy
pin of ancient make, with which the wrapping
of the bundle was fastened, and begun to un.
wind long piece of discolored linen. At the
very first turn another shower of spices fell
out As soon as these had been swept aside,
Florence proceeded slowly with her task, and
as she removed fold after fold of the linen the
bundle began to take shape and form, and the
shape it took was that Of a human head.
Eva saw it and drew closer to Ernest
Jeremy saw it, and felt inclined to bolt;
Dorothy saw it, and knew that her PRESENT.
ments as to the disagreeable nature of the
contepts Of that unlucky case were coming
true; Mr.. Cardus saw it, and was more in
terestel than ever Only Florence and Hard
Aluti saw AlOUlu turn
or two of the long winding sheet, and it
slipped suddenly away from whatever it in
closed.
There was moments dead silence as the
company regarded the object thus left open
to their gaze Then one of the women gave a
low cry of fear, and actuated by some
common impulse, they all turned and broke
from the inner room in terror, and calling, at
is alive!" No, not at all Florence turned
pale, but stood there by the object, the wind
ing sheet in her hand; and old Atterleigh
also remained staring at it, either paralyzed
or fascinated.
It, too, seemed to stare at him from its
point of vantage on the oak chest, in which
it had rested for SO many centuries.
And this was what he saw there upon the
box. Let the reader imagine the face and
head of a lovely woman of some 80 years of
age, the latter covered with ripping brown
locks of greath length, above which was set
a roughly fashioned coronet studded with un.
cut gems, Let him imagine this face, all but
the lips, which were colored red, pale with
the bloodless pallor of death, and the flesh SC
firm and fresh looking that it might have
been that of corpse not a day old; so firm
indeed, that the head and all its pendent
weight Of beautiful hair could stand on the
uilSlll luiihen DdSt Of lue neck Wnlcn, III some
far past age cold steel had made so smooth
Then let him imagine the crowning horror Of
this weird sight Tho eyes of a corpse ar,
shut, but the eyes in this head We're wild,
open and the long, black lashes, as perfec
now as on the day of death, hung over wha
appeared, when the light struck them, to b,
two balls of trembling fire, that glittered anC
rolled and fixed themselves upon the face O
the observer like living eyes. 1t was thes
awful eyes that carried such terror to tn
hearts Of the onlookers when they cast thei
first glance around, and made them not un
| naturally cry out that 1t was alive.
1t was not until he had made a very care
| ful examination Of these fiery orbs that Mr.
Cardus was afterward able to discover what
| they We're, and as the reader may as well un
derstand at once that this head had nothing
about it different from any other skillfully
| preserved head, he shall be taken into conf
dence without delay There were balls O
crystal fitted, probably with the aid of slen
| der springs into the eye sockets with such in
fernal art that they shook and trembled Il
the slightest sound, and even on occasion
rolled about, The head itself, lie also discov
| cred, had not been embalmed in the ordinar,
fashion, by extracting the brain and film
the cavity with spices aud bitumen, but hai
| been preserved by means of the injection o
,hsilica or some kindred substance into tn
lVbrain veins and arteries, which, after pei
meating all the flesh, had solditled and mad
1t like marble, Some brilliant pigment ha
been used to give the lips their natural coloi
and the hair had been preserved by means G
spices. But perhaps the most dreadful thin
about this relic of forgotten ages was tn
mockiAg smile that the artist who "set it up